West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-12-15
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
sALUTATION FROM THE CHARIOT.
The Searching Question: "Is Thine
Heart Right"
TEXT. "Is,nine heart right ,s-11. Kin,


was celebrated for fast driving, Jehu, the
warrior and king, returns from battle. But
seeing Jehonadab, an acquaintance, by the
wayside, he shouts whoa! whoa" 10 the
lathered span. Then, leaning over TO Jehon-
adab, Jehu salautos him in the words of the
text-words not more appropriate for that
place.
Is thine heart rightl I should like TO benr
OF your physical health Well myself, / like
TO have every body else WELL and so might
ask: Is your cycsight right, your hearing
right, your nerves right, your lungs right,
your entire body right But / am busy to-
day taking diagnosis Of the more important
spiritual conditions.
should like to hear Of your financial wei
fare L want everybody to have plenty OF
money, ample apparel, large storehouse, and
comfortable residence. And might ask: Is
your business right, your income right, your
worldly surroundings right But what are
these financial questions compared with the
inquiry as TO whether you have been able To
pay your debts tn God; as 10 whether you
are running yourself by the long credit sys-
tenn OF the souli l have known men 70 have
no more than one loaf OF bread at time, and
Yet 70 own government bond of heaven
worth more than the whole material uni
verse.
The question ask you to-day is not in re-
gard to your habits. l make no inquiry
ABOUT your integrity, or your chastity, or
your sobriety. / do not mean 70 stand on
the outside of the gate and ring the bell; but
coming up the steps l open the door and
come to the private apartment of the soul :;
ana with the earneStneSs of man that must
give an account for this days work, l cry
out: ~ man, . woman immortal, is thine
heart rightp
will not insult you by an argument to
prove that we are by nature all wrong IL
there be a factory explosion and the smoke
stack be upset, and the wheels be broken in
Two. and the engine un jointed, and the pom
derous bars be twisted, and a man should
mol IN and sl,N,
you would pronounce him a fool Well il
needs no acumen TO discover that our nature
is all a Tist and askew and unjointed. The
thing doesn't work right. The biggest trouble
we have in the world is with our souls
Men sometimes say that though their liver
may not be just right, their heart is all right
lmpossiblel farmer never puts the poorest
apples on top of his barrel; nor does the mer-
chant place the meanest goods in his show
window. The best part of us is our outward
lie. do not stop to discuss whether we all
fell in Adam, for we have been our own
Adam, and have all eaten of the forbidden
FRUIT, and have been turned ont of the para
disc OF holiness and peace: and though the
flaming sword that stood at the gate TO keep
us out has changed position and comes behind
TO drive us in, we will not 60.
The Bible account of us is not exaggerated
wnen IL says that we are poor and wretched
and miserable and blind and naked. Poor:
the wretch that stands shivering on our door
step on cold day is not so much in need OF
why, the man whose eyes Lerished in the
powder blast, and who for these ten years
has gone feeling his way from street to street
Is not in such utter darkness as we. Naked:
why, there IS not one rag of holiness left 70
hide the shame of our sin. Sick why, the
leprosy has eaten into the head and the heart
and the hands and the feet, and the maras-
mus or an everlasting wasting away has al
ready seized on some of us.
First we need repenting heart. If for the
last ten, twenty or forty years of life we have
been going on in the wrong way il is time
That we turned around and started in the
opposite direction. IL we offend our friends
we are glad TO apologize. God is our best
friend, and yet how many of us have never
Apologized for the wrongs we have done HIM
There IS nothing that we so much need to
get rid OF as sin. IL is a horrible black mon
sber. 1t polluted Eden. 1t killed Christ. IL
has blasted the world Men keep dogs i'm
Kennels, and rabbits in a warren, and cattle
IN pen. What a man that would be who
would shut them up in his parlor But this
FOUL dog OF sin, and these herds of transgres.
noni we have entertained for many q long
year IN our heart, which should be the clean
est, brightest room IN all our nature Out
Win tine vile herd Beyone, ye befoulers Of
an immortal nature Turn out the beasts
and let Christ come inl
a heather came to an early Christian who
had the reputation Of curing diseases The
christian said: You must have all your idols
destroyed The heather gave to the Chris
sian the key 70 his house, that he might 90 IN
and destroy the idols He battered to pIeces
all he saw, but still the man did not get we'll
The Christian said to him: There must be
come idol in your house not vet DESTROYED -
The heather confessed that there was one idol
OF beaten gold that he could not bear To Give
up. After a while when that was DESTROYED
IN answer TO the prayer OF the Christian the
sick man got we'll.
Many man has awakened in his DIVING
hour TO find his sins all about him they
claInoered up on the right side OF tho bel.
on the left side, and over the headbonrd, and
Ahe soul.
Repent, the voice celestial cries, Sg1sfss
nor longer dare delay
The wretch that seorns toe mandate dies.
And meets a fiery day.
Again, we need believing heart A good
many years ago q weary one went no one ~
the hills Of Asia Minor, and with two LOGS on
his back cried out TO al the world Offering
70 carry their sins and sOrrows They pur.
sued him. They slapped him in the face
They Knocked him. When he cr01nsJ thav
grOaned. They shook their fists at him
They spit on him. They houndei him as
though he were a wild beast His healing ~
the sick, his sight giving - the blind his
OF tn world. His prayers and benedictlo1s
were lost IN that whirlwind Of execratio1
Away with hnl Away with himl
ABB u was not merely the two pieces Of
wood that he carried it was the trnuglras
wrath Of God, the sOrrOws OF hell the stu
pendous interests Of an unending eternity
No wonder his back bent No wonder The
blood started from every pore No wonder
that he crouChcd under a torture that made
the sun faint, and the everlasting hills trem-
bic, and the dead rush up in their winding
sheets as be cried, III 10 be possible. let this
cup pass from me But the CUP did not
pass. None 10 comfort
There he hangsl What has that hand done
hab 10 should be- thus crushed iu the
paint 10 has been healing the lame and
Wipng away tears What has that foot been
doing that BE- should be 50 laceratedt ~ has
been going about doing good. on what has
the victim been guilty. Guilty OF saving "a
world Tell me, ye heavens and earth. was
there ever such another crimiualf Was there
ever such crimof On that hiIl OF carnugc.
That sunless day. AMID those bowling riOters
may not your sins and mine have pcrishedf
Ibei'evc &C.
Oh, the ransom has been paid Those
arms ~ Jesus were stretched out ~ wide
that when He brought Thorn tovath.r
again They might embrace the world
Oh, That j might ont 0f tho blooms
Of the spring or tho flaming foliage
Of the autumn. make one wreath for
my Lord Oh that all the trumphaI arches
Of the world could be swung in ore gateway
whore the King n Glory might come inl
Oh that al the harps and trumpats aud or
gane or earthly music might in one anthem.
speak bis praissi
But what we're earthly flowers tohim who
Walketn amid The snow ~ the white lilies N
Heaven. What were arches N earthly ma